Advising Clients

What does a volunteer adviser do in CARF?

Most of the volunteer advisers in CARF are known as “general advisers”. This means that they can provide advice and information to clients on just about anything!

If this sounds daunting, don’t worry. We have a comprehensive training programme that ensures that you’re supported every step of the way to becoming a general adviser (and will continue to have the support of colleagues and supervisors once you’re ready to fly solo). You’ll have access to our online information system, the extensive online resource that helps us give the right advice to all our clients.

The kinds of things that general advisers who volunteer for CARF might do in a typical day include:

Interviewing clients by phone or in person

Providing information using our online information system and other quality-assured sources

Explaining the options available to clients, and what those options might mean

Offering practical help to clients by writing letters, making phone calls and helping fill in forms

Performing calculations using online tools (for example, to ensure that clients are getting all the welfare benefits they are entitled to)